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May 18, 2007
It all started with Abraham
Diversity panel discusses God, martyrdom and the future.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
In this day and age, with the "war" that's being waged
against terrorism and speculation about an imminent "clash
of civilizations," it is encouraging to hear people engaging
in dialogue. Or, in the case of the Abrahamic faiths, trialogue.
On May 6, Rabbi Reuven Bulka of Congregation Machzikei Hadas in
Ottawa, Rev. Karen Hamilton, secretary general of the Canadian Council
of Churches in Toronto, and Imam Abdul Hai Patel, co-ordinator of
Islamic Council of Imams-Canada in Toronto, came together at the
University of British Columbia for an interfaith panel discussion.
Hosted by the Canadian Centre for Diversity, the two-hour trialogue
was moderated by UBC Prof. Graeme Chalmers and focused on the basics
of each religion, discussion about the concept of pluralism and
what we can do to make the world a better place.
All of the panellists have been engaged in interfaith work for many
years. Patel joked that he is called "Mr. Interfaith"
by his friends at Canadian Jewish Congress because he's "been
more in synagogues, temples and cathedrals than in mosques."
"The CJC, way before 9/11, approached us saying we cannot solve
the problems of the Middle East here in Canada, but, as Canadians,
why can we not sit down and talk?" explained Patel. "Why
can we not work together on issues affecting us together, our faith,
our community, or any other policy for that matter? And we began
our dialogue."
One of the obvious impediments to dialogue, of course, is those
people who feel that their religion, and their way of practising
it, is the only way to access God.
"I would really like to get out of the language of who is right,
because it's a major problem," said Bulka. "For example,
I will just give you an interesting insight of Maimonides, because
Maimonides was asked to make a comment on the Jewish attitude to
Christianity.... Maimonides was a very devout Jew, but he saw Christianity
as a very open force in the world.... Maimonides is saying Judaism
is right for the Jews, and Christianity is right for the non-Jews.
He didn't get into Islam at that point in timet.... That's the model
that goes back generations and I think that it's critical for us
to have that deep down in our gut, not just to say it publicly,
but to really believe it, because ... people will feel this in the
way that we interact with each other."
All of the panellists noted that, while there is diversity between
Judaism, Christianity and Islam, there are also struggles within
each religion. Patel pointed out that there are Sunnis and Shiites,
and Muslims from all over the world come to Canada, "so we
are also grappling with the differences within our own practices
in the community," he said. "That someone will say, 'No,
this is wrong' and the other will say, 'No, we've been doing this
for years and it is part of our life, part of our faith,' and we
get into the arguments of pronouncing each other not Muslim to the
extent [that] 'You are not Muslim if you don't do this.'
"I always say here that these differences are there as a blessing
to make us understand the fundamentals of Islam remain the same,"
he continued, "and if we can work around the basic fundamentals,
then that is a lesson that we can teach others, as well as Canadians.
No matter what faith we practise, no matter whether we are without
faith, but if we need [to], we can work together on issues affecting
our country, affecting our community, affecting the safety of this
country.... But ignorance and narrow-mindedness have always prevailed,
and that is why the acts of a few Muslims are what Muslims are judged
by nowadays. And especially post-9/11 era. Everyone connecting terrorism
in the name of Islam - that is their understanding, their interpretation;
that is not the interpretation of Islam, not the interpretation
of the majority."
Patel then cited a koranic statement, one that echoes the view of
Christianity and Judaism, that "if you are to kill one human
being innocently, it is as if you have killed the whole of humanity;
if you save one human being, it is as if you have saved the whole
of humanity."
Hamilton was optimistic that there were few truly intransigent people.
It is amazing what kind of transformation can come through dialogue
and relationship, she said. "We're in dialogue with those that
don't believe in dialogue, for the long term, and we've got to be
sustained by that and [it is] sustaining."
One of the ways in which followers of different religions can find
common ground is through common concerns, such as low-income housing
and other social justice issues. This was a notion repeated by the
panellists during the discussion, as was how much the Abrahamic
faiths have in common with each other, beginning with the fact that
the same God is central to them all. The panellists also agreed
on their distaste for the word "tolerance."
"Tolerance is a crummy word, because it's not the opposite
of intolerance, it's the step before intolerance," said Bulka,
adding that he prefers the word "acceptance."
And all three faiths are supposed to embrace diversity, according
to the panellists.
"What we are and what we do reflects the idea that it's very
important, at least within my faith, and I'm sure with the others,
to be in the community and be concerned about the totality of the
community," said Bulka. "That's the way rabbis are measured;
not so much by what they do inside, but also how far they go outside
the community."
Hamilton noted that "it is the biblical imperative and the
faith imperative to ... respect and to understand that God is the
God of all people and all creations. Christians, like everybody
else, are human and fallible and they don't necessarily get it right
sometimes."
Patel added: "Islam accepts diversity and it is the individuals
that really make it difficult to accept, because the problem here,
that people have to understand in Canada, is that some of the Muslims
have come from completely homogeneous Muslim communities. They have
not seen or heard of other faiths, so when coming into this country
over here, and seeing a number of other faiths, they feel threatened,
their values being threatened. And that's why there's a bit of intolerance....
This is the feeling of some of the communities, but that is not
the case [with most]."
Martyrdom has a legitimate place in Islam, said Patel, "but
that is if martyrdom is achieved, it's not asked for. You don't
go and seek martyrdom.... If someone dies of cancer, any fatal disease
or illness, [they are] also considered a martyr. Someone who dies
... in a state of fasting during the month of Ramadan is also considered
a martyr. There are various levels ... of piety that bring people
into this category, not just getting killed in a battlefield. So,
martyrdom has different levels and it's only achieved unexpectedly;
not that you are asking for or going after it."
Bulka said that the concept was similar in Judaism: "If a person
sticks his neck out and says, 'Make me into a martyr,' that's not
being a martyr. It's not something that you can will, but something
which, unfortunately, is thrust upon you and [it's] the way that
you react to it."
"Christianity does have a very small tradition of martyrdom,"
added Hamilton, giving the examples of Christians under Roman rule,
when they refused to call Caesar God, and Christians who went to
death in the death camps of the Second World War in the place of
another.
Hamilton stressed that there were no quick fixes to the divisions
between faiths, saying that we need to be in it, in dialogue, for
the long term. And, she said, when the conversation gets tough -
stay at the table.
Bulka recommended that people regularly ask themselves, "What
have I done for somebody today outside my immediate matrix, my immediate
family? Have I given blood? Have I given charity? Have I espoused
a cause that's not my own? Have I gone beyond the boundary of my
own inner sanctum into helping others? Because the idea of diversity
is not just religious diversity, it's ethnic diversity, it's social
diversity, there's all sorts of diversity. If I see someone that's
a different color than me on the street, do I say hello to them?
Do I go out of my way to be friendly to people that I don't even
know?... These little things make a big difference."
He concluded: "Don't underestimate yourself. Don't underestimate
the power of good deeds. They are powerful."
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